Is Doc Rivers Concerned About James Harden's Absence vs. Heat?

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have been relatively healthy. For their first three games since returning from the All-Star break, the Sixers' injury report has

Lately, the Philadelphia 76ers have been relatively healthy. For their first three games since returning from the All-Star break, the Sixers' injury report has been clear. On Friday afternoon, that changed as Tobias Harris was added.

Absent from the Friday morning shootaround session, Sixers veteran forward Tobias Harris dealt with a non-COVID illness. At that point, he was officially deemed questionable for Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After going through pregame warmups, Harris was then cleared for action against Cleveland. And after the Sixers defeated the Cavaliers on Friday night, Harris traveled with the team to South Beach for their matchup against the Miami Heat.

When the Sixers released their injury report on Saturday afternoon, Harris was no longer on it. However, another key name popped up as James Harden was suddenly ruled out for the Saturday night matchup.

What Happened to Harden?

For the last month, Harden's been dealing with hamstring tightness. When he was a member of the Brooklyn Nets back in early February, Harden missed three-straight matchups due to tightness.

He was on pace to miss four games in a row before getting traded to the Sixers ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. While many assumed that Harden's three absences in Brooklyn were more a result of his frustrations with the team rather than his physical setback, the Sixers proved otherwise as they put him on a treatment plan once he got to Philadelphia a few weeks back.

When Harden finally joined the Sixers two games after being traded, the star guard was ruled out for his first game with the team due to hamstring tightness. He also didn't participate in the final game ahead of the All-Star break. And while Harden was invited to play in his tenth All-Star game, he also sat out of the big showcase.

Last Friday, Harden returned to action and made his Sixers debut. He appeared in two matchups against the New York Knicks, one matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and played against Cleveland on Friday night.

Although Harden made it out of Friday's game without an injury, the Sixers made it clear they are still utilizing a treatment plan for the star guard as he was offered a rest night ahead of Saturday's game against Miami.

Should anybody be concerned? According to Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, not in the slightest. "It's nothing, really," said Rivers before Saturday's game. "He's just played a lot of games, he's been out, and that's about it, really. There's nothing to read into it."

That's good news for the Sixers, who clearly missed Harden on Saturday night. As the team shot poorly from the field and struggled from beyond the arc, they were defeated 99-82 against the East's top seed. 

Now, they'll get Sunday off before returning home to host the Chicago Bulls on Monday. While Harden's status for Monday's game is currently unclear, it seems there is a good chance he could return to the lineup once again.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.